This invention relates to a non-closable container having an open mouth defined by the upper edges of a pair of generally trapezoidal panels (referred to hereinafter as "trapezoidal" for brevity) heat-sealed along two edges of a pair of overlying webs, or along the side edges of a single web folded double, which side edges are not linear; and additionally, heat-sealed to form a bottom. The container exhibits a desired visual effect by a means which (a) includes coloration and decorative ornamentation, (b) forms an approximately trapezoidal configuration with essentially no thickness when collapsed, and a generally frustoconical shape when partially filled, and (c) suggests the appearance of a live plant when one is placed in a container of appropriate size. The container most preferably includes a static information-exhibiting means in the upper portion of its exterior surface, specifically modified by ornamented indicia which provides the static information. "Upper" portion refers to the transparent portion above a "lateral line" in a region lying in the range from about one-half to about two-thirds vertically above a liquid-impervious base which is the container's bottom. The "lateral line" refers to a line, preferably serrated or crenelated, preferably located above the vertical half-way distance between the upper and lower edges of the superimposed webs, but below one drawn through a point at a height two-thirds the vertical distance between the upper edge and the bottom, the line being nearer the upper edge than the bottom. The phrase "lower printed portion" refers to the ornamented printed portion in the area below the lateral line. The lower printed portion includes a base, a frustoconical portion and an outwardly flared generally frustoconical portion (referred to as "the outwardly flared portion" for brevity) which merges into the upper see-through portion.
In a particular embodiment, the container contains a potted plant, typically a live plant, in a conventional flower pot (in shape, the frustum of a cone) and visual information desired to be communicated to the user concerning the plant or the utilization of the plant, and the characters providing the information are preferably in contrasting colors.
Commercially acceptable containers in the market-place for the packaging of potted plants are required, not only to package the potted plant effectively, but to help sell it to the consumer. Preferably, the container helps to entice the consumer to purchase the plant on the spur of the moment. Such plants are easily portable from the point-of-sale because they weigh less than about 4.54 Kg (10 lb), and when packaged in the container, may be lifted and moved by grasping the top of the container holding the plant. An appropriately decorative container serves not only to make the sale, but to identify the goods therein, to allow air circulation over the goods, and, if desired, provide information about the plant contained, and/or instructions with respect to how to care for the plant.
The terms "trapezium", "trapezoid" and "trapezoidal" are used herein as equivalents to denote an approximate quadrilateral having two parallel upper and lower sides, the lower side being shorter than the upper, with the remaining two side sides being equally angulated, but oppositely directed. The equally angulated sides may be linear, forming a geometrically well-defined trapezium when the panels of the container are laid flat, or the equally angulated sides may be non-linear in profile. A non-linear profile is obtained when the lower portion of the container includes an outwardly-flared portion which commences to flare from a location which would be near the rim, preferably just above the rim of the pot ("pot line) to be sheathed. The outwardly flared profile at its top, merges into a linear portion of the side, and at its bottom, at the pot line, the outwardly flared profile merges into a line defining one side of the frustoconical portion of the container. The line defining one side of the frustoconical portion of the container then merges into an angulated linear portion which, in a particular embodiment forms a gusseted bottom.
The closed end of the container is referred to as the "base" despite being nearer the apex of the triangle (which the container would form if the angulated sides were extended to intersect) than the unsealed longer sides which form the open upper end or "mouth" of the container, because, in use, its mouth is uppermost.
Accordingly, this invention more particularly relates to a novel decoratively ornamented non-closable trapezoidal container formed from a web of essentially transparent synthetic resinous film (referred to herein as "plastic film") uniquely printed on the container's exterior surface, in the lower portion thereof, preferably with high-gloss inks of contrasting color in only the lower printed portion, preferably containing a varnish, or overlaid with a coat of varnish, the upper portion of the container being essentially transparent (hence referred to as "the see-through portion") and preferably, foraminous; and, to a continuous method of making the container from twin superimposed webs, each printed in substantially the same way, or, from a single web folded along near its central longitudinal axis to produce substantially the same result as the twin webs.
By "high-gloss" ink is meant one which when viewed as a printed layer has a gloss index in the range from about 70-98. By "essentially transparent" film is meant "permeable to visible light" such that at least about 90% of the surface area of the upper portion of the container is free from printing which interferes with the transparency of the upper portion.
Flat containers, generally referred to as "plastic bags" are currently made in a variety of shapes and sizes, including generally trapezoidal as well as rectangular bags, by joining together along three sides, along the entire length of each side, upper and lower webs of transparent heat-sealable film printed with the tradename of the seller, the trademark, a pattern of stripes and squares or other geometric design, or a likeness of the contents, for example, a poinsettia plant. To my knowledge, such bags are made from heat-sealable polyolefin film or polyester film, typically thin polyethylene or cast polypropylene film, and printed with inks against the transparent background so that a profusion of printing is scattered in separate regions across the entire container, or, only a minor proportion of the lower portion of the web is printed with a discontinuous layer of printing ink applied in a substantially uniform coating.
In some instances, a web of film made opaque with an ultrathin, non-self-supporting, reflective layer of bright metal, deposited by known techniques and referred to as "metallized film", is overprinted with a single color with substantially transparent ink. Hereafter, for brevity, the ultrathin, non-self-supporting, reflective layer of bright metal is referred to as "the ultrathin layer" to distinguish it from foil which is self-supporting. The thickness of the ultrathin layer, most preferably of aluminum, ranges from about 0.5 micron (0.5.mu.) to about 4.mu., and the coated film has an optical density of &lt;4 (less than 4). By "substantially transparent ink" is meant an ink which is permeable to at least 20%, and preferably a major portion, of visible light incident upon it. Trapezoidal bags formed of metallized film have no upper portion which is essentially transparent, nor are they completely covered with printing ink in their lower portion. Minor portions of metal have been removed from within both the lower and upper printed areas in prior art bags but this amount removed in the upper printed area is typically less than about 20% of the metallized surface, so that the upper area is not essentially transparent.
Such printed metallized flat trapezoidal bags are used to package vegetables and fruits at grocery stores, and in a host of other applications including for advertising at ball games where a bag may be used as a rain hat, by inverting the bag over one's head. Ornamented containers printed with high-gloss inks, and the method of making them, are the subject matter of the parent application Ser. No. 08/375,786 the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference thereto as if fully set forth herein.
Recognizing the importance of providing a foil wrap which serves as a marketing tool, and of providing a more attractive package for goods, U.S. Pat. No. 4,297,811 to Donald E. Weder (U.S. class 47/subclass 72) provides a decorative wrapping material in the form of a flexible self-supporting aluminum foil panel having a multicolor appearance. One surface of the aluminum foil is covered with relatively thick and relatively thin layers of ink of a single color, spaced apart by uncoated areas of metallic foil, to produce an effect referred to as "racing stripes". The other surface of the aluminum foil is laminated to a thin layer of plastic S material. The function of the metallic foil is to emphasize the delineation between the inked areas and to enhance the variation in color intensity between adjacent areas. The overriding function of the '811 wrap is to attract the attention of a customer easily attracted by wrappings, if not goods, that glitter.
A container to jacket a live potted plant is imprinted with desirable design elements such as leaves, preferably generic to the plant. The light-permeable upper portion of the container allows (a) identification of the plant which must be clearly visible in normal indoor or outdoor lighting, with the naked eye, (b) disseminates the fragrance of the plant, and (c) provides ambient air for transpiration.
A trapezoidal bag, referred to as a Combined Shipping and Packaging Envelope for a Potted Plant, is disclosed in Des. 259,333 to Charbonneau, showing a printed lower portion contrasted with a white upper portion the margins of which contain portions of the same printed color which covers the lower printed portion. These marginal printed portions are referred to as "print overlap" or "overlap". No prior art trapezoidal container has been formed in which printed images cover substantially its entire lower portion of a defined lower portion of the container with a continuous layer of printing ink the remaining upper portion being free of overlap. By "substantially its entire lower portion" is meant that the lower printed portion is covered with ink over from about 90% to 100% of the area of the lower portion. The lowest portion near the container's bottom edge may be preserved in an unprinted condition to facilitate the bottom being heat-sealed in the unprinted region. Prior art trapezoidal bags have been partially printed in their lower portions with a discontinuous layer of printing ink typically covering less than about 50% of their lower portions, or have deliberately maintained designated unprinted areas in the lower printed portion.
No prior art trapezoidal container has (i) only its entire lower portion printed with a high gloss ink and, (ii) its upper portion permeable to visible light. More particularly, no prior art container has (i) only its entire lower portion covered with the ultrathin layer, and sequentially over-printed with contrasting colors of a transparent ink, including a varnish to produce a high-gloss printed surface, and, (ii) its upper portion permeable to visible light. No prior art trapezoidal container has (i) only its entire lower portion sequentially printed with contrasting colors of essentially opaque inks, including a varnish to produce a high-gloss printed surface, and, (ii) its upper portion permeable to visible light. It is conceded that, a printer of polyolefin film, who prints with high-gloss colored transparent inks on metallized film, or high-gloss opaque inks on transparent film, could print substantially the entire lower portion of a web with contrasting colors of high gloss ink, were he instructed to do so, and leave the upper portion unprinted. It is known that transparent ink, printed on the ultrathin layer in a layer from about 1-10.mu. thick, allows visible light reflected from the ultrathin layer to pass through the ink, giving the printed image a distinctive bright metallic look.
Similarly, one skilled in the art of designing and constructing containers from synthetic resins would recognize the desirability of maintaining an upper transparent portion for visual inspection of its contents but would have no reason to cover the entire lower portion with a high-gloss ink, or with a high-gloss ink brightened by the addition of reflective varnishes which are preferably mutually soluble with the inks. Much less likely would he be likely to consider using a metallized heat-sealable plastic film, overprinting it to cover the entire lower portion of a trapezoidal flat bag he wished to make, then overlaying the printed portion with varnish. Unexpectedly, the varnish serves two additional functions besides providing high-gloss: it allows etching away only the unwanted portions of the ultrathin layer, and, it provides protection against scuffing of the otherwise unprotected relatively abrasion-prone inks on the exposed exterior printed surface.
Specifically, there was no recognition in the bag-making art, of the desirability of printing the entire lower portion of a web with high-gloss inks in juxtapositioned regions having different thicknesses, yet to restrict the printing beneath a generally lateral line of longitudinal demarcation between the printed lower portion and the transparent upper portion, for any reason; nor was there any reason in the art to make a multiplicity of trapezoidal bags from a pair of webs, with the restriction that each bag be free of blank or elongated rectangular unprinted portions ("racing stripes") in the lower portion, or, overlap in the upper portion; or, any reason in the art to provide a marker for information directly connected to the use or care of the goods.
Because of the conventional method of maldng prior art flat trapezoidal bags with essentially no wasted stock, no bag has both, a completely printed lower portion, and, a transparent upper portion. Prior art flat trapezoidal bags have either a racing stripe in the lower portion, or, overlap in the upper transparent portion, as will be explained in greater detail below. In a mass of conventionally printed bags having an upper portion which is transparent, the bags are not identical to one another in that the racing stripes vary in width at the margins of the lower portion of the trapezium; or, in printed bags having their lower portions essentially completely printed, the widths of the overlap vary at the margins in the upper transparent portions. Though only a single bag, conventionally printed in only its lower half in essentially the entire portion thereof (no racing stripe, no unprinted portions), with the upper portion transparent (no overlap in the margins), could have been individually made from appropriately printed stock, whether a pair of webs, or a single web folded over on itself once, by wasting the remainder of the stock on either side, such a method of making a bag would not be considered for a commercial bag-making machine which must make a multiplicity of bags with a minimum of wasted stock. In bag-making, the stock is fed essentially continuously to the bag-making machine. The method of this invention permits making a mass of containers, the mass comprising a multiplicity of individual, identically uniquely printed containers, by deliberately wasting stock, more than one-half that used to make the container, but limiting the waste to less stock than is used to make the container.
With respect to prior art bags made with a gusseted bottom, a typical grocery bag of plastic film is side-gusseted so that it does not provide a flat bottom. Rectangular bags of plastic film which are bottom-gusseted and provide a flat bottom, such as a bag disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,717,262, are also commonly available. All such bags, whether or not gusseted, are formed sequentially from a moving web, the seals on the sides of any one bag being common to the sides of bags on either side of the one bag. This conventional sequence is specifically selected so that no material is wasted between rectangular bags. Side-gusseted bags and bottom-gusseted rectangular bags of the prior art have gussets formed without an angulated seal, or sealed at different angles from the gussets formed in the container of this invention. Moreover, the method disclosed herein of forming the gusseted base of the container with its unique characteristics is unlike any prior art method for forming a bottom gusseted container for a flower pot.